Comingsoon.net is tripping and falling over the opportunity to compile five of the best slapstick comedies. Check out our picks in the gallery below!
Comedies come in all different shapes and sizes. Dramatic comedies keep things grounded and serious. Romantic comedies keep things a little fantastical but always make sure the laughs flow. Action comedies blend excitement and punchlines for maximum enjoyment. Then, of course, there’s slapstick—where clumsy actions and ridiculously embarrassing events come together to bring in the biggest laughs.
Typically, slapstick comedies will employ violence, stunts, fights, pranks, missteps, and wordplay to create the goofiest possible comedies imaginable. Back in the early 20th century, the best slapsticks didn’t need any dialogue at all. As the century went on, the genre leaned very heavily into cleverly-worded dialogue and innuendo in addition to sight gags in order to keep things fresh. These slapstick comedies compiled below are the best examples of the genre we’ve ever encountered.
slapstick comedies
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Airplane! (1980)
An unimpeachable parody film, Airplane! is one of a select few films acceptable to say when asked “What’s the funniest movie ever made?” Leslie Nielsen and the rest of the cast absolutely nail every single gag here. It’s slapstick perfection, and one of the last great entries in the genre.
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Blazing Saddles (1974)
Mel Brooks’s Blazing Saddles is a cowboy comedy that frequently breaks the fourth wall (literally breaking it at one point). Gene Wilder’s unending dedication to the craft goes a long way, with the rest of the cast also pulling their weight (and then some).
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Modern Times (1936)
Charlie Chaplin’s best is a slapstick comedy about automation and industrialization, two problems that still face the work force today. Perhaps that’s why the film remains so funny (not to mention Chaplin’s complete dedication to a sight gag).
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The General (1926)
Of all the iconic silent comedy stars, Buster Keaton was undeniably the very best at the physical gags required to be a slapstick comedy. Charlie Chaplin and Harold Lloyd certainly have their highlights, but Keaton’s The General proves just how good he was at his job.
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The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988)
In the same vein as Airplane! comes The Naked Gun, a truly hilarious parody of police films. Leslie Nielsen again delivers some of the very best gags ever filmed.
